Tag: stop

Israel’s high court says the government must stop funding seminaries. Could that topple Netanyahu?


JERUSALEM (AP) — Israel’s Supreme Court ruling curtailing subsidies for ultra-Orthodox men has rattled Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu‘s governing coalition and raised questions about its viability as the country presses on with the war in Gaza.

Netanyahu has until Monday to present the court with a plan to dismantle what the justices called a system that privileges the ultra-Orthodox at the expense of the secular Jewish public.

If that plan alienates the ultra-Orthodox lawmakers on whose support he depends, his coalition could disintegrate and the country could be forced to hold new elections.

Here’s a breakdown of the decision and what it might spell for the future of Israeli politics.

WHAT DOES THE DECISION SAY?

Most Jewish men are required to serve nearly three years in the military, followed by years of reserve duty. Jewish women serve two mandatory years.

But the politically powerful ultra-Orthodox, who make up roughly 13% of Israeli society, have traditionally received exemptions while studying full time in religious seminaries, or yeshivas.

This years-old system has bred widespread resentment among the broader public — a feeling that has deepened during nearly six months of war. More than 500 soldiers have been killed in fighting, and tens of thousands of Israelis have had their careers, studies and family lives disrupted because of reserve duty.

The Supreme Court ruled that the current system is discriminatory and gave the government until Monday to present a new plan, and until June 30 to pass one. Netanyahu asked the court Thursday for a 30-day extension to find a compromise.

The court did not immediately respond to his request. But it issued an interim order barring the government from funding the monthly subsidies for religious students of enlistment age who have not received a deferral from the army. Those funds will be frozen starting Monday.

While the loss of state subsidies is certainly a blow, it appears the yeshivas can continue to function. Israel’s Channel 12 reported Friday that the state provides only 7.5% of all funding for the institutions. Netanyahu’s coalition could also search for discretionary funds to cover the gaps.

HOW IS THE DECISION BEING RECEIVED?

Many Israelis are celebrating the court’s decision, believing it spells an end to a system that takes for granted their military service and economic contributions while advantaging the ultra-Orthodox, or “Haredim” as they are called in Israel.

The religious exemption dates back to Israel’s founding, a compromise that the country’s first prime minister, David Ben Gurion, made with ultra-orthodox leaders to allow some 400 yeshiva students to devote themselves fully to Torah study. But what was once a fringe Haredi population has grown precipitously, making the exemption a hugely divisive issue to Israeli society.

Many ultra-Orthodox continue to receive government stipends into adulthood, eschewing getting paying jobs to instead continue full-time religious studies. Economists have long warned the system is unsustainable.

“The next government will have to hold a long overdue conversation about the future of the Haredi relationship to the state,” commentator Anshel Pfeffer wrote in Israel’s left-leaning daily, Haaretz.

“Now, the Haredim will have no choice but to take part in it. It won’t be just about the national service of its young men, it will also have to address fundamental questions about education and employment,” he said.

Ultra-Orthodox leaders have reacted angrily.

Aryeh Deri, head of the ultra-Orthodox Shas party, called the court’s decision “unprecedented bullying of Torah students in the Jewish state.”

The ultra-Orthodox say that integrating into the army will threaten their generations-old way of life, and that their devout lifestyle and dedication to upholding the Jewish commandments protect Israel as much as a strong army. Although a small number have opted to serve in the military, many have vowed to fight any attempt to compel Haredim to do so.

“Without the Torah, we have no right to exist,” said Yitzchak Goldknopf, leader of the ultra-Orthodox party United Torah Judaism. “We will fight in every way over the right of every Jew to study Torah and we won’t compromise on that.”

WHY DOES IT THREATEN NETANYAHU?

Netanyahu, Israel’s longest-serving prime minister, is known as a master political survivor. But his room for maneuver is limited.

Vowing to press forward with a war that has harmed the Israeli economy and asked much of its soldiers and reservists, Netanyahu could lose the support of the more centrist elements of his fragile national unity government if he tries to preserve the exemptions for the ultra-Orthodox.

The two centrists in his fragile War Cabinet, both former generals, have insisted that all sectors of Israeli society contribute equally. One, Benny Gantz, has threatened to quit — a step that would destabilize a key decision-making body at a sensitive time in the war.

But the powerful bloc of ultra-Orthodox parties — longtime partners of Netanyahu — want draft exemptions to continue.

The ultra-Orthodox parties have not said what they will do if they lose their preferential status. But if they decide to leave the government, the coalition would almost certainly collapse and the country could be forced into new elections, with Netanyahu trailing significantly in the polls amid the war.



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César Chávez’s family demands RFK Jr. stop using images of the iconic labor leader in his campaign


LOS ANGELES — The family of César Chávez wants independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to stop referencing the late labor and civil rights leader on the campaign trail.

“We respectfully call upon you and your campaign to cease using images of our father to associate yourself with him and suggest your campaign’s goals are compatible,” said the letter signed by Chávez’s eldest son, Fernando Chávez.

“It is our sincere conviction that this association is untrue and deceptive,” he added.

The letter said that the family would “pursue all legal action available” if Kennedy failed to halt his campaign’s use of the United Farm Workers co-founder’s name and imagery.

The Kennedy campaign did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

César Chávez Speaks At Rally
American labor leader and co-founder of the United Farm Workers (formerly known as the National Farm Workers Association) César Chávez speaks at a rally in Coachella, Calif. in 1977.Cathy Murphy / Getty Images file

On Friday, ahead of César Chávez Day, the family formally endorsed President Joe Biden’s re-election campaign. One of César Chávez’s granddaughters, Julie Rodriguez Chavez, serves as Biden’s 2024 campaign manager.

Dolores Huerta, Chavez’s partner in founding the UFW, has also remained a Biden ally.

In 1968, Kennedy’s father, former Attorney General Robert Kennedy Sr., flew to California to join Chavez after he had engaged in a water-only fast for 25 days. Kennedy Sr., at the time running for the Democratic presidential nomination, lent considerable political backing to the farm labor movement’s nonviolent efforts, which included a multi-year strike of the California grape industry. His relationship with Chavez was a key marker for the Democratic Party’s embrace of the farmworkers’ labor rights movement. Kennedy was assassinated in 1968.

Kennedy Jr. is holding an event this weekend in Los Angeles that his campaign said will “celebrate the life and legacy of Cesar Chavez, a good friend of RFK and RFK, Jr.” The invitation for the event includes a photo of Kennedy Sr. and Chavez.

In July 2023, at a conference for The National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials, Kennedy commented on his family’s relationship with Chavez.

“My father’s close, and probably most important political alliance, which was César Chávez, who helped him win the California Primary during the last day of his life and remained a very, very close friend of mine for most of my adult life,” Kennedy said.

Vaughn Hillyard

Vaughn Hillyard is a correspondent for NBC News. 

Katherine Koretski contributed.





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How Taiwan could depend on one of the cheapest naval tactics to stop a Chinese invasion


  • Naval mines could be a cheap but useful addition to Taiwan’s defenses.

  • Experts have argued that for Taiwan to develop a “porcupine” strategy, and mines could be key.

  • But they wouldn’t be a catch-all defense, and there are many difficulties to navigate when deploying mines.

Facing an aggressive China that is willing to use force to achieve the unification it has sought for decades, Taiwan needs strong strategies to deter, and if it comes to fighting, defend.

An element of that strong defense, experts argue, could be one of the cheapest naval tactics: sea mines. The under-the-water, hidden explosives could be key to derailing an amphibious assault and waging asymmetric warfare against China’s superior navy.

Experts say that naval mines could be very useful for stopping China’s People’s Liberation Army Navy or, at the very least, creating major headaches during an invasion.

“Strategically placed naval mines would allow Taiwan to leverage its natural geographic advantages to strengthen deterrence by denial and build a formidable defense in depth,” experts and analysts wrote in a post for War on the Rocks earlier this month.

“Exploiting Taiwan’s shallow waters and treacherous coastline, mines employed at different water depths and locations would offer Taiwan a low-cost and effective means to delay, disrupt, and degrade Chinese forces,” Jonathan Dorsey, Kelly Grieco, and Jennifer Kavanagh said.

Mines force Chinese ships to contend with the explosive threat before pushing forward. Vessels like minesweepers could be sent out to clear the mines, but that effort would take time and could delay and hinder China’s assault plans.

Mines wouldn’t solve all Taiwan’s problems, but as a part of a larger “porcupine” strategy, which US officials and experts have spoken to in the past, it could be quite effective.

The idea of a “porcupine” defense could include a “large number of small things,” meaning asymmetric platforms that, when mixed with high-cost joint force systems such as advanced fighter jets and drones, provide effective deterrence and defense.

In the event of a Chinese invasion of Taiwan, “the goal should be to provide critical time for more US firepower to be brought to bear, and to reduce the number of PLA forces that need to be either targeted en route or defeated at the water’s edge,” Scott Savitz, a RAND senior engineer, wrote last year. “Naval mines are such a capability, complementing various other weapons.”

An underwater mine is detonated in a demonstration during the major maritime maneuver "Northern Coasts 23" in the Baltic Sea off the coast of Latvia.

An underwater mine is detonated in a demonstration during the major maritime maneuver “Northern Coasts 23” in the Baltic Sea off the coast of Latvia.Bernd von Jutrczenka/Picture Alliance via Getty Images

Sea mines have long been a useful way of denying enemy access to an area. As the three experts wrote in their War on the Rocks commentary, nine mines blocked French warships from the harbor of Tamsui in northern Taiwan in October 1884 during the Sino-French War.

They were commonly used in the World Wars and posed major threats to warships.

More recently, sea mines have seen heavy use in the Sea of Azov and the Black Sea during the war in the Ukraine, damaging and destroying ships and making the already dangerous waters even more precarious. Both Ukraine and Russia have used these weapons, which pose a risk not just to military operations but civilian commercial activities.

That speaks to larger problems naval mines pose. While they can be effective deterrence, they can also present a threat to their surrounding environment and civilians, and could be difficult to clear. They can also come loose in a storm or rough waters and drift long distances, leading to unexpected complications.

For Taiwan, another problem here is procuring and deploying the mines. It would take a major effort to prioritize such an effort and it’s unclear how China would react if such activities were observed.

In 2022, Taiwan added minelaying ships to its fleet as tools to bolster its defense. At the time, per the AP, Lt. Hsu Shu-wei of the Second Mining Operations Squadron said the weapons were to “build up our asymmetric warfare power” and stop “the enemy from getting on our island.”

But, additional capabilities would be required to fully employ a naval mine defense.

“Though mines would significantly strengthen Taiwan’s deterrence and defense, Taipei has not made the necessary preparations,” Dorsey, Grieco, and Kavanagh said in their commentary, stressing that “investing in the necessary capabilities and improving readiness to carry out mining operations” should be “top priorities for Taiwan.”

Read the original article on Business Insider



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For years tourists have ridden boats through this sacred Australian natural wonder. A new ban will stop them in their tracks


The Horizontal Falls are one of Australia’s strangest natural attractions, a unique blend of coastal geography and powerful tidal forces that visitors pay big money to see up close.

But all that is about to change.

Located at Talbot Bay, a remote spot on the country’s northwestern coastline, the falls are created when surges of seawater pour between two narrow cliff gaps, creating a swell of up to four meters that resembles a waterfall.

For decades, tours have pierced these gaps on powerful boats, much to the dismay of the area’s Indigenous Traditional Owners, who say the site is sacred.

It’s not the only reason the boat tours are controversial. In May 2022 one boat hit the rocks resulting in passenger injuries and triggering a major rescue operation. The incident led to calls to halt the tours for safety reasons.

Although the boat trips have continued, the concerns of the Indigenous Traditional Owners have now been heeded, with Western Australia, the state in which the falls are situated, saying they will be banned in 2028 out of respect.

Close-up views still permitted

Tourists on a speedboat race across the Horizontal Waterfalls in Talbot Bay, Western Australia. - Jeff Mauritzen/Design Pics Editorial/Getty Images

Tourists on a speedboat race across the Horizontal Waterfalls in Talbot Bay, Western Australia. – Jeff Mauritzen/Design Pics Editorial/Getty Images

Not everyone is happy with the move. The WA Tourism Council, which represents tourism businesses in the state, has warned it will deter visitors and cause major job losses.

But it’s been welcomed by the Dambeemangaddee people, who’ve inhabited this area for 56,000 years and believe boats desecrate the falls.

Located in the Kimberley Region, 1,900 kilometers (1,180 miles) north of the state capital Perth, the Horizontal Falls are within Maiyalam, one of three protected marine parks created in 2022 that were co-designed, and now co-managed, by Traditional Owners and the WA Government.

The move by the Western Australian government comes amid criticism over its commitment to protecting Indigenous sites in a state that relies heavily on mining.

Talbot Bay’s main boat tour operator, Horizontal Falls Seaplane Adventures, will cease traversing the falls in March 2028, with all other operators to stop by the end of 2026.

After the ban takes effect, boats will still be allowed to cruise Talbot Bay, offering visitors a close-up view of the cascading spectacle that British naturalist David Attenborough has called “Australia’s most unusual natural attraction.”

“This decision reflects the government’s dual responsibilities to respect the cultural views of Traditional Owners and the need to protect and support WA’s tourism industry,” said WA Environment Minister Reece Whitby in a statement.

“We want people to experience Indigenous culture as an essential, vibrant part of visiting jointly managed national and marine parks across Western Australia.”

The Dambeemangaddee are among dozens of Indigenous peoples who inhabited WA for more than 50,000 years before Australia was violently colonized by the British in the 1780s. Countless parcels of Indigenous-controlled land were then seized or defiled.

‘Respect the power of this place’

After the ban takes effect, boats will still be allowed to cruise Talbot Bay, offering visitors a close-up view of the attraction. - Jeff Mauritzen/Design Pics Editorial/Getty Images

After the ban takes effect, boats will still be allowed to cruise Talbot Bay, offering visitors a close-up view of the attraction. – Jeff Mauritzen/Design Pics Editorial/Getty Images

The Horizontal Falls ban aims to restore the sanctity of this site. According to local Indigenous beliefs, boats that pierce these gaps disturb Woongudd, the mystical serpent who created this wonder.

Woongudd’s story features in the Dreamtime, an ancient collection of tales and principles that have defined Australian Aboriginal culture. The rushing tide at the falls is said to be caused by Woongudd gliding between the cliffs.

Since the 1990s, Traditional Owners have expressed concerns that boat tours are damaging this “powerful, sacred place,” the Dambeemangaddee said in a group statement, responding to the ban.

“This has been an emotionally trying journey for many of us,” they wrote. “With this decision, we finally feel we have been heard. Our ancestors lived there all year round, and we still feel their presence. It is a quiet, calm place. But it can be dangerous. Culturally, Traditional Owners would only travel through the (cliff) gaps for a specific purpose and always at the right time.”

The Dambeemangaddee emphasized they hope tourists continue to visit the Horizontal Falls. They believe tourists can be dazzled by its tidal forces while maintaining a polite distance.

“Respect the power of this place, and our cultural obligations to care for Country and keep you safe,” they asked of visitors, referring to their ancient role as custodians of Australia’s landscape.

In preparation for the Horizontal Falls ban, the Dambeemangaddee stated they have begun creating new videos and brochures that will explain their culture and spiritual connection to Talbot Bay. They also are creating fresh tours, welcome ceremonies, and a visitor management plan for the location.

Critics fear ban will reduce visitor numbers

Other attractions in the Kimberley region include the Bungle Bungles, a UNESCO-listed site. - Tourism Australia

Other attractions in the Kimberley region include the Bungle Bungles, a UNESCO-listed site. – Tourism Australia

Horizontal Falls Seaplane Adventures said in a statement it will transition to a “culturally appropriate program that will allow visitors to experience the spectacular natural wonder of the Horizontal Falls in a respectful context”.

The falls boat ban was criticized by Tourism Council WA CEO Evan Hall, who said this activity had long attracted visitors to the Kimberley. He added that banning it would impact 15 tourism operators, and cause the estimated loss of 58 full-time jobs in the region.

“By traversing the falls, visitors experience the awesome nature of this unique environment,” Hall said in a statement earlier this month.

“It’s not something that can be experienced from the sideline. National Parks are public land and waters that belong to everyone. The legislative objective of National Parks includes promoting and facilitating nature-based tourism and public recreation – this is not achieved by restricting visitor access.”

However, the ban was supported by Kimberley Day Cruise CEO Sally Shaw, who told CNN the company’s Horizontal Falls tours only venture near, not between these cliff gaps. She says piercing the falls is both dangerous and disrespectful to its Traditional Owners.

“We do not traverse the falls because of safety and cultural reasons and have never done this on our tour,” Shaw said.

“Most people who do these tours have cultural understanding and recognize the future is a sustainable national treasure we can all appreciate in safety.”

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NTSB says police had 90 seconds to stop traffic, get people off Key Bridge before it collapsed


NTSB: DALI had 764 tons of hazardous material before Francis Scott Key Bridge collapse


NTSB: DALI had 764 tons of hazardous material before Francis Scott Key Bridge collapse

04:28

BALTIMORE – The National Transportation Safety Board provided a broader look Wednesday night into its investigation of the cargo ship hitting Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key Bridge, causing its collapse.

Officials said police had just 90 seconds early Tuesday from when they received distress calls to cut the bridge off to traffic and to try to get people off.

A police officer who was already in the area patrolling because of the work on the bridge tried to get construction workers off before it was too late, according to officials.

Twenty-one members and two pilots were onboard DALI, a 948-foot vessel managed by Synergy Marine Group, a Singapore-based company with over 660 ships under management around the world, according to its website.

The vessel had 56 containers — 764 tons – of corrosive, flammable material and batteries, according to NTSB chair Jennifer Homendy, adding that some of the containers were breached. One of the hazardous materials was sheen, which is used in paint, that has leaked into the Patapsco River.

“That’s 764 tons of hazardous materials, mostly corrosive, flammables, Class 8 hazardous materials, which includes lithium-ion batteries,” Homendy said. “Some of those containers were breached.” 

NTSB says DALI left the terminal at the Port of Baltimore  around 12:39 a.m. and by 1:24 a.m., alarms started going off that something was wrong.

At 1:27 a.m., the pilot ordered crews to drop the anchor and called for tugs, telling officials the boat lost power and was headed toward the bridge.

And just two minutes later, the massive cargo ship crashed into the bridge at 8 mph, sending eight construction workers who were filling potholes plunging into the cold water along with Baltimore’s iconic bridge. Officials said they were from Mexico, Guatemala, El Salvador and Honduras.

Two people were rescued soon after the collapse — one was uninjured and other was hospitalized and later released.

Divers recovered two bodies from a pickup truck Wednesday morning.

Officials said the search for the remaining four has moved from a recovery mission to a salvage effort because they believe vehicles are encased in the bridge debris and divers can’t operate around the debris.

The bridge itself “is fractural critical,” Homendy said. “What that means is if a member fails that would likely cause a portion of or the entire bridge to collapse; there’s no redundancy.” 

The collapse has halted the flow of ships in and out of Baltimore’s port and cut off nearly every dock in Baltimore from the global shipping industry. 

“The national economy and the global economy depends on the Port of Baltimore,” Gov. Wes Moore said at a news conference early Wednesday evening.

Moore said the state has submitted a request asking for federal funds to assist in rebuilding the bridge, but the cost and timeline is still unknown.

“The task in front of us, it will be real, it will be daunting, but our resolve is unshaken,” Moore said.

Kelsey Kushner

kelsey-kushner-bio-picture-002.png

Kelsey Kushner joined the WJZ team in January 2019.





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Lego requests California police department stop using their toy heads to cover suspect mugshots


The toy company Lego requested a Southern California police department refrain from using the company’s toy heads to hide the identities of suspects in photos shared on social media.

The Murrieta Police Department began using Lego heads to cover people’s faces in November 2022. The edited photos garnered attention last week after the department posted a statement titled “Why the covered faces?” on Facebook.

The police department's "Why the covered faces?" post.
The police department’s “Why the covered faces?” post.Marietta Police Dept. / via Facebook

The online images prompted the toy company to contact the police department on March 19.

Lego “respectfully asked us to refrain from using their intellectual property in our social media content, which, of course, we understand and will comply with,” Lt. Jeremy Durrant said in a statement to the Associated Press.

“We are currently exploring other methods to continue publishing our content in a way that is engaging and interesting to our followers,” Durrant added.

Lego did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Lego faces cover the suspects' faces.
A post from February 26 about suspects in a traffic collision involving a parked vehicle the previous night.Marietta Police Dept. / via Facebook

The Murrieta Police Department protects the suspect’s identity in accordance with the law but uploads photos of their faces covered to openly share what is happening in the city. 

“The Murrieta Police Department prides itself in its transparency with the community, but also honors everyone’s rights & protections as afforded by law; even suspects,” the department wrote on Facebook.

The California legislature amended Penal Code 13665 in July 2021 to prohibit law enforcement from sharing photos of suspects arrested for nonviolent crimes. 

Additionally, the state passed Assembly Bill 994 in September 2023, requiring agencies to remove suspect mugshots from social media after 14 days unless special circumstances exist.

The law went into effect in January, according to the department.



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Rebel Wilson says Sacha Baron Cohen is trying to stop her from writing about him in her memoir



Australian actor Rebel Wilson said British actor and comedian Sacha Baron Cohen is trying to stop her from writing about him in a chapter of her memoir.

Wilson posted a story to her Instagram Sunday identifying her “The Brothers Grimsby” co-star as “the a–hole” she will be writing about in her upcoming book, “Rebel Rising.”

“I will not be bullied or silenced by high priced lawyers or PR crisis managers. The ‘a–hole’ that I am talking about in ONE CHAPTER of my book is: Sacha Baron Cohen,” Wilson wrote of the “Borat” star.

The “Pitch Perfect” actor previously posted to her Instagram a video in which she spoke about older colleagues in Hollywood, saying they had a “no a–hole policy.”

“But then it really sunk in what they were meaning by that — older people in the industry — because I worked with a massive a–hole, and yeah, now I definitely have a ‘no a–holes policy,'” she said in the video. “The chapter on said a–hole is chapter 23. That guy was a massive a–hole.”

A representative for Cohen said Wilson’s claims are “demonstrably false.”

“While we appreciate the importance of speaking out, these demonstrably false claims are directly contradicted by extensive detailed evidence, including contemporaneous documents, film footage, and eyewitness accounts from those present before, during and after the production of ‘The Brothers Grimsby,'” the representative told NBC News.

Wilson and Cohen starred in 2016’s “The Brothers Grimsby” together, where they played a couple who shared nine children.

Wilson’s memoir is due to drop on April 2.






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Only a hostile environment can stop illegal migration


Migrants travelling in an inflatable boat across the English Channel

Migrants travelling in an inflatable boat across the English Channel

Those who believed that Brexit would see the UK “take back control” continue to look in despair as the country’s borders remain porous and insecure. The ongoing small-boats emergency on the English south coast has made a complete mockery of our so-called national sovereignty over immigration and asylum policy.

The asylum system has been reduced to a survival-of-the-fittest arrangement, with able-bodied males being ferried to the UK on small boats through the English Channel. Some of these illegal entrants are in turn relocated to the more disadvantaged parts of the country. At times, they subsequently abscond from under-regulated forms of accommodation without a trace.

Some on the contemporary British Left are open-border evangelists who believe that the UK should be an international outpost that serves the central purpose of maximising global welfare. From a philosophical perspective, the very concept of the nation state with meaningful borders is an enemy to their holy cause, which might be called global redistributive justice. There is no serious consideration for the fact that this scale of illegal migration fuels labour exploitation, undermines social cohesion and poses a threat to public order.

While the Government has sought to shore up our borders through the Illegal Migration Act, there needs to be a truly national effort to dismantle people-smuggling networks, as well as punishing exploitative bosses who employ illegal migrants and unscrupulous landlords who house them in overcrowded properties. There needs to be a fostering of a genuinely hostile environment for those who are contributing towards the UK’s illegal immigration crisis.

As it stands, an individual may be sent to prison for five years and pay a large fine if that person is found guilty of employing someone who he/she knew or had “reasonable cause to believe” did not have the right to work in the UK. This fine can be up to £20,000 per illegal worker. But the Government should look to introduce much stronger penalties for those who fail to comply with the law on right-to-work checks and knowingly employ illegal migrants while making handsome profits by paying them a pittance. This form of labour exploitation undermines the integrity of the British market economy – one where social responsibility is an integral part of mainstream business activity.

Moreover, like the case of employing illegal workers, one can be sent to jail for 5 years or receive a fine for renting property (in England) to someone who he/she knew or had “reasonable cause to believe” did not have the right to rent in the UK. The amount for a first-time penalty for a lodger in a private household is a meagre £80 (which rises to £1,000 for tenants in rented accommodation). Both the potential prison sentences and penalties for such misdemeanours should be toughened as a matter of urgency. This is not “anti-landlord” – it is about tackling criminal activity in the rental market.

By empowering its law-enforcement authorities and introducing stiffer punishments, the UK can create a truly hostile environment for those who benefit from the illegal immigration ecosystem, especially people-smuggling networks, exploitative bosses, and crooked landlords.

Dr Rakib Ehsan is the author of Beyond Grievance

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Suspect dead after allegedly shooting two Florida officers during traffic stop


A suspect who allegedly shot two Florida police officers during a traffic stop is dead, according to police.

Officers with the Orlando Police Department stopped a car at around 11 p.m. on Friday because it was wanted in connection with a homicide in Miami, Orlando Police Chief Eric Smith said at a news briefing on Saturday.

The suspect, identified by police as 28-year-old Daton Viel, shot both officers before carjacking another vehicle and fleeing the scene. A pursuit ensued.

Orlando Police Chief Eric Smith speaks at a press conference on Aug. 5, 2023.
Orlando Police Chief Eric Smith speaks at a press conference, on Aug. 5, 2023.Orlando Police Department via Facebook

Authorities eventually found Viel at a Holiday Inn in the 5900 block of Caravan Court, Smith said. Police evacuated the hotel and attempted to get Viel out of his room where he had barricaded himself.

At around 8:58 a.m., Viel shot at SWAT officers multiple times, who returned fire, killing the suspect, according to Smith.

Viel had an “extensive violent criminal history,” Smith said. A second suspect was determined to not be involved in the shooting.

Police are not looking for any additional suspects.

The officers, who were not identified, are expected to make a full recovery.

“This is a tragedy for our department any time you get officers shot, these officers are out here everyday protecting our community,” Smith said. “They put their lives on the line everyday to keep us safe and for some piece of crap to do this to them because they don’t want to go back to prison is ridiculous, and we’re not going to put up with it.”

The investigation is ongoing, police said.



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An American billionaire says he’ll stop funding the think tank behind Israel’s judicial overhaul


JERUSALEM (AP) — An American billionaire and major donor to a Jerusalem think tank backing the Israeli government’s divisive judicial overhaul said on Friday that he would stop giving to the conservative group.

The decision by Arthur Dantchik, a 65-year-old libertarian multibillionaire from New York, to cut funding to the Kohelet Policy Forum reflects the scope of the unrelenting protest movement against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s plans to weaken the Supreme Court.

“I believe what is most critical at this time is for Israel to focus on healing and national unity,” Dantchik said in a statement shared with The Associated Press announcing his move to halt funding. “Throughout my life, I have supported a diverse array of organizations that promote individual liberties and economic freedoms for all people.”

The protests have raged in Israel for seven months, exposing deep-seated social tensions and thrusting the country into a crisis over the future of its democracy.

The Kohelet Policy Forum, founded in 2012 by American-Israeli computer scientist Moshe Koppel, has emerged as one of the main architects of Netanyahu’s judicial overhaul package.

Kohelet declined to comment specifically on Dantchik, saying only that the donations it receives “are broad-based and increasing steadily.”

Israeli media has reported Kohelet has been involved in negotiations over the overhaul plans. The changes would give the government more control over the selection of judges and make it harder for the Supreme Court to strike down laws. At one point earlier this year, a member of Netanyahu’s right-wing Likud party said the think tank even provided the government with the same overhaul proposal that it presented to Israel’s parliament.

The Israeli parliament, or Knesset, passed first major measure in the judicial overhaul last month, unleashing widespread unrest among critics who fear it will blunt one of Israel’s few checks on government overreach and erode its democratic institutions. Supporters of the plan, including Kohelet, claim it will boost democracy by giving the elected government more power than unelected judges.

Dantchik’s announcement Friday also drew attention to the powerful influence American money and ideas have on Israeli politics. In 2021, the Haaretz daily first identified Dantchik as one of Kohelet’s two principal financial supporters in an investigation that revealed a maze of opaque third-party groups in the United States through which Dantchik and others channeled their donations.

Kohelet is not required to disclose its donations, and the exact amount that Dantchik has provided over the years is not publicly known.

As the co-founder of Susquehanna International Group, a powerful privately held financial firm in Pennsylvania, Dantchik is worth $7.3 billion, according to Forbes’ latest tally.

Kohelet’s founder, Koppel, keeps a low profile and long has avoided questions about the think tank’s donors.

Despite its support from some American Jewish businessmen, the turmoil over the judicial changes in Israel threatens to strain ties with Israel’s closet ally. President Joe Biden has publicly criticized Netanyahu’s push to overhaul the judiciary. Liberal Jewish organizations in the U.S. have condemned the legislation.

In his statement on Kohelet, Dantchik warned against the widening rifts in Israeli society that the overhaul plan has highlighted.

“When a society becomes dangerously fragmented, people must come together to preserve democracy,” he said.



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